The Slovenian Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and his German counterpart Franz Josef Jung told the press in Ljubljana that cooperation between the two countries in defence was very good and would continue to develop during Slovenia's stint at the helm of the EU in the first half of 2008.

The defence ministers also discussed Germany's experience with the EU presidency in defence and Slovenia's priorities during its presidency, including stability in the Western Balkans, said Erjavec. Meanwhile, Slovenia is also to continue the activities of the 18-month program of the presiding trio Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, in building EU military capacity, rapid reaction forces, as well as in the European Defence Agency.

The priorities of the 18-month plan were international operations, such as those in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the EU is decreasing the number of its troops, and in Kosovo, where the decision on the future status of the province would influence the presence of troops. Jung also stressed the importance of building a common standpoint concerning the status of Kosovo, which must be reached by 10 December, when the Kosovo troika is to submit their report on the current negotiations.

The only hope remaining is that what happened in Slovenia and her neighbours for the last decade will not be the experience past that will base the new programs.

An economic power

The Economy Ministry has drafted a white paper on trade and investment which contains the basics of the EU common trade policy and Slovenia's viewpoints on certain measures of the policy. "The aim of the paper is to motivate Slovenian business to participate in the shaping of viewpoints that represent its interests," Economy Minister Andrej Vizjak told the press.

Vizjak added that it is important that all viewpoints Slovenia represents at the European level also reflect the position of Slovenian business. "This is an attempt to boost the response of Slovenian business to the ministry's viewpoints". The director general of the Directorate for Foreign Economic Relations Sabina Kolesa explained that Slovenia, being a member of the EU, was a co-author of the EU trade policy measures. She also pointed out priorities in the area of EU trade policy as part of Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008.

According to Kolesa, Slovenia favours liberal foreign trade. "Slovenian economy is small and it is not necessarily open. The ministry therefore supports lower customs duties and as less trade barriers as possible," she said. One of the priorities for the next year is a renewed strategy for access to markets. "A renewed strategy means that the cooperation between the European Commission, EU members and companies will be boosted in a bid to reduce non-tariff barriers companies usually face," said Kolesa.

The truth is that the Slovenian economy has done unbelievable steps the last decade and of course with the help of the EU and neighbour Germany we most likely see a new Slovenia rising.